Reading Reading Years Later
by Irishgirl14
Summary: Some of the Order and some of Dumbledore's Army are gathered to read a manuscript of "Reading Deathly Hallows Years Later" - one of my other stories - during Harry's fifth year.
1. Chapter 1

**Bold = Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows**

Regular = "Reading Deathly Hallows Years Later"

_Italics = "Reading 'Reading Years Later'"_

* * *

_CHAPTER ONE_

_Dumbledore's Army was meeting in the Room of Requirement. As always, Harry, Ron, Hermione were the first to arrive. Then, Neville, Ginny, and Dean came. Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia entered together. As soon as Luna and Hannah walked in, however, a golden light flashed and everyone in the room disappeared._

_At Number Twelve, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Arthur, Molly, and Bill were gathered. Mad-Eye and Kingsley walked in, and a golden light flashed. _

_In the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, McGonagall, Snape, and Hagrid were receiving instructions from Dumbledore when a golden light flashed. _

_Harry and his companions found themselves in a room with couches and comfortable chairs on one side and a kitchen and a large dining room table on the other. On the back wall, there were fourteen doors. They all had signs that said, "Beds and Bathrooms for:" But the rest of the plaque was empty._

_All the students had their wands at the ready but were still unprepared for the sudden appearance of Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Arthur, Molly, Bill, Mad-Eye, and Kingsley. _

_Harry quickly recognized them and saw his fellow students recognize Sirius. "It's alright," he said before they cursed his godfather. "Sirius Black is innocent of the charges laid against him." The others seemed to trust his word. _

_Sirius, hearing his godson's words, noticed the large group of student he was now in an unknown room with._

_Before he could say anything, the professors appeared. And before they could recognize their surrounding, five more people appeared: Seamus, Draco, Aberforth, Charlie, and Fleur. _

_Everyone's wands were out, trying to identify the others as friends or foes. _

_As everyone started to recognize each other and the Order members were checking for impostors, Harry noticed that there was a stack of papers on the table that hadn't been there when the DA members had arrived._

_He slowly approached, and the DA, trusting his judgment about the others in the room, followed him as back up. Mad-Eye noticed this but did not comment, wanting to see the group "in action."_

_Once he was able to see the papers more clearly, Harry saw that there was a letter addressed to him on top of the stack. _

_Harry reached out to pick it up. Hermione stopped him. "It could be dangerous," she whispered. _

_This drew Remus's attention to them, but Mad-Eye held him back, waiting to see what Harry would say and do. _

_"If I let Dumbledore test it, he might not let me read it," Harry returned. "But I won't have anyone getting hurt for that," he sighed. _

_Harry was about to call out to Dumbledore, but Mad-Eye walked over to the table before he could. Moody nodded to Harry and cast spells on the papers to test for Dark Magic. _

_"They're not Dark," he told the students._

_"Thanks," Harry responded as he again reached for the letter addressed to him._

_He read to himself:_

_Dear Harry,_

_You and everyone else have been brought to this room to read the manuscript sitting on the table. There are two parts of this manuscript. The words in bold print are what were going to happen in your seventh year (it might not happen now because you will have read the manuscript). The words in regular print are your future selves (after the events of the bold print words) reading the bold print story. (I know, it's confusing, but it'll be easier to understand once you start.) Both prints are from your point of view. (Sorry, but it was the best way.) Things about the future are going to be revealed, and some things are going to make you mad, sad, happy, worried, and maybe even freaked out. In the end, though, this is an opportunity for you to save people and end the war sooner. The room has a fully stocked kitchen and rooms that include bathrooms for everyone. The signs on the doors should now have names listed on them. Time has stopped outside of this room, and no one can leave until you have finished reading the manuscript. Good luck, and remember: do not judge anyone until the manuscript is finished. _

_~A Friend~_

_P.S. Feel free to read parts of this letter or the whole thing to everyone as a way to explain to them what's going on._

_By this point, everyone had gathered around Harry. He looked up at all the curious faces._

_"What did it say, Harry?" Sirius asked._

_Harry thought that he trying to explain it would just make it more confusing, so he decided to read the entire letter aloud. _

_When he was finished, everyone looked at Dumbledore. "It seems we really don't have a choice, and as it wasn't Dark, I believe that we can take the letter at its word." _

_Everyone nodded. "Alright, then," Sirius said, excited to be out of Number Twelve. "Let's get started."_


	2. Chapter 2: RDHYL Chapter 1

_Please don't expect updates this often on a usual bases. I don't have a lot of time to work on my stories. What college student does?_

* * *

_CHAPTER TWO_

_"Who would like to read first?" Dumbledore asked once everyone had sat down in the living area. _

_"I would," Hermione and Remus both said. _

_"Oh, you go ahead, Professor." _

_"I'm not a professor anymore, Hermione. You can call me Remus."_

_Hermione nodded._

_Dumbledore handed the manuscript to Remus. "Please begin."_

_"It looks like the first few chapters are all in regular print," Remus told the others as he flipped through the beginning of the manuscript. _

_"_Chapter One_," Remus read. _

It was March 1, 2004,

_"Hey, that's my birthday," Ron said. _

nearly six years since the final battle and the demise of Voldemort.

_Hermione quickly did the math. "That means he was defeated in 1998, probably two and half years from now."_

All the Weasley children, except Charlie, were now happily married.

_"Oh, my babies, married," Molly cried, tears filling her eyes. _

Luna and Neville were engaged to Rolf and Hannah respectively.

_Luna smiled at this, happy that she would meet someone who understood her. _

_Neville and Hannah looked at each other briefly. They quickly turned away, and an awkward moment ensued. _

_Remus continued._

Ginny's and Angelina's due dates were fast approaching.

_"Oh, Ginny. Pregnant?" Molly asked herself out loud. _

_The Weasley boys looked ready to fight Ginny's future husband. _

_Ginny, trying to get some of the attention off of herself, asked, "I wonder who married Angelina?"_

Kingsley had revolutionized the Ministry and was still Minister of Magic.

_"Yes! Fudge is gone!" most of the young people shouted. _

_Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Congratulations, Kingsley."_

_Kingsley was overwhelmed at the news. He was also a little nervous as Moody was appraising him with his glass eye. _

McGonagall was currently Headmistress of Hogwarts,

_McGonagall, who realized what this meant, turned to Dumbledore. "You can't be dead. You're the only one Voldemort fears."_

_Everyone, now also having realized what had to have happened, looked horrified at the Headmaster. _

_Dumbledore's twinkle had left his eye. Yet, he responded calmly to the stares and to McGonagall's words. "On the contrary, I believe that he fears Harry as well."_

_McGonagall was getting frustrated. "You know what I meant, Albus." _

_"We should get back to the book. We can discuss this later. For all we know, it could have happened years after the war ended," Dumbledore said. _

_Everyone looked calmer, so Remus began to read again. _

which had been lovingly rebuilt to its former glory even though a few scars still remained.

_Dumbledore thought he knew what this meant but decided not to mention it. _

Everyone was moving on.

The family was gathered for Ron's birthday.

_Ron smiled._

His parents, Hermione, Harry and Ginny,

_"Why is there an 'and' between Harry and Ginny's names?" Ron asked aloud, staring at his friend with the beginning of glare. _

_Sirius answered him. "Because they're married!"_

_At this, all the Weasley boys turned and glared at Harry who was blushing and avoiding their eyes. _

_Ginny stepped in. "Leave him alone," she told her brothers. "It's none of your business who I date or who I marry." The boys looked somewhat ashamed though they were still throwing glares at Harry. Internally, Ginny was smiling. _I'll have to break up with Michael_, she thought. _

George and Angelina,

_"Wait, I thought Fred took Angelina to the Yule Ball last year?" Ron asked._

_Hermione shushed him, "Have some tact, Ron!"_

_Angelina spoke up. "It's alright, Hermione. Actually, Fred asked me, but George took me. I can only assume that he was too nervous to ask me himself, so Fred did it for him. Then, they switched on me."_

_Fred and George looked shocked. "You knew?" George asked. _

_Angelina sighed. "Of course I knew, George. I've been friends with you and Fred since first year. I can tell you apart."_

_George smiled at her._

_Remus continued. _

Percy and Audrey,

_Molly teared up. "Percy…" she whispered to Arthur, who hugged her close. _

Bill and Fleur,

_Bill and Fleur glanced quickly at each other and turned away, blushing. _

Neville and Hannah, Luna and Rolf, and Charlie had all gathered to celebrate with the now 24-year-old. Young Teddy and Victoire

_"Who?" Sirius asked?_

_"They're someone's children, Sirius," Remus sighed._

_"Yeah, but whose kids are they?"_

_"Well, Victoire sounds like a French name…" Fleur commented._

_Tonks spoke up. "My dad's name is Ted. Maybe Teddy is mine?"_

_"I'm sure we'll find out at some point," Dumbledore got everyone's focus. _

were spending the day at Andromeda's

_"Yeah, Teddy probably is your child, Tonks, if Andromeda's watching him," Sirius commented_

_"Can I get through one sentence without interruptions?" Remus asked, frustrated. _

so that the adults could have some time to themselves.

They were all sitting outside the Burrow enjoying the rare spring weather and just being all together again.

_Ginny had just realized something. "Wait, what about Fred? It didn't mention him."_

_As soon as she asked this, the adults realized. Molly began to cry, and Arthur pulled her close, fighting tears. McGonagall teared up. Everyone else looked shocked or sad. George had frozen._

_Fred looked around and decided that he needed to talk to George first. He leaned in close to his twin. "George? George, look at me." Fred grabbed George's shoulder tightly and said again, "Look at me."_

_George looked up. His eyes were overflowing with tears. "You can't die," he told his brother. "You can't die."_

_At this, everyone teared up or started to cry. _

_Fred pulled George into a hug. "For all we know, George, I might just have been unable to come."_

_George shook his head. "You and I both know that's not true. You're dead."_

_Fred didn't know what else to say, but Harry remembered the note._

_"Remember what the note said? We have an opportunity to change our future." _

_"Yeah, George. We can change this," Fred assured his twin. George nodded, but he did not look entirely convinced. Fred turned to his mother, prepared to assure her, but Harry's words had already done so. _

_Remus continued._

Ron had begun opening his gifts several minutes earlier. As he reached the bottom of the fairly large pile, he reached for the last present, looked at the card attached to the top, and tilted his head in confusion. "I thought this was supposed to be my birthday party," he said half-jokingly, "Why has someone given me a present I have to share with Harry and Hermione?" He looked around at his family and friends. All of them looked just as confused as he was.

_"Put it down. No one there gave it to you," Mad-Eye said. _

_Tonks felt like informing him that he was talking to a book, but with one look at the nervous faces around the room, she decided against it. _

"What are you talking about, Ron?" Ginny questioned her brother.

"This gift. It's addressed to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. My name's not even listed first," explained Ron fake-pouting at the end.

_Ron thought to himself, "Of course it's not."_

Harry, who had never been able to completely get rid of the voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Mad-Eye,

_"Good. Constant Vigilance!" Mad-Eye yelled. _

immediately took in the faces around him. He could tell that they were all genuinely confused. None of them had given this present to Ron. "Ron, don't touch it!" he said quickly, drawing his friend's attention. "No one here sent it. It could be dangerous."

Ron instantly dropped the package which made a loud thud as it hit the table. Everyone stood up and backed away from it, the men taking protective stances in front of their wives/fiancés.

_Hermione and Ginny huffed. "Honestly, we can protect ourselves," Ginny said._

_Wisely, none of the males responded._

Harry, Hermione, and Ron had their wands out, prepared for the worst to happen. Harry signaled to his friends to search the surrounding area with their eyes as he moved forward to cast spells on the gift to check for Dark Magic. Finding none, he said, "It's not Dark."

_Everyone gave a sigh of relief. _

He placed his wand back in his pocket and carefully reached out to pick up the package. Closer now, he saw that there was more on the note than just their names.

TO HARRY, RON, AND HERMIONE

READ THIS NOTE BEFORE OPENING THE PACKAGE.

THIS NOTE IS FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.

YOU MIGHT WISH TO GO SOMEWHERE PRIVATE.

~A FRIEND~

_"It could be a trap," Mad-Eye warned._

_"Or, the book could be from the same 'friend' that gave us this manuscript," Tonks commented. _

_"It probably is the same person," Remus agreed. _

Harry turned to his friends. "The note says it's for our eyes only." The three looked at each other, communicating with their eyes as they so often did. Harry turned back to his family. "Go ahead and sit down and relax. Eat some cake. We'll—"

But Ron interrupted. "Don't eat all of the cake though. It's mine, so I should get some of it."

_Everyone chuckled. "That's Ron, always thinking of his stomach," Hermione said fondly._

Hermione snorted. "You never change, do you?"

"You wouldn't want me any other way, would you?"

"No."

_Ron gave a small smile. _

Harry just looked at them for a few seconds as they stared into each other's eyes. He turned to look at Molly. "Don't worry, Mum.

_Molly started at Harry calling her "Mum" but then smiled. _

We'll be back outside soon." As Molly used her wand to right the chairs that had tumbled over in the family's haste to back away from the possibly dangerous gift, Harry motioned to Neville. "If we're not back out in ten minutes, come looking," he whispered quickly.

_Neville looked proud that Harry trusted him with that. _

Neville looked at him and nodded. Harry smiled back at his "lieutenant" as the trio had taken to calling him, Ginny, and Luna.

_"That's the end of the chapter," Remus said._

_"I wonder why we're your lieutenants." Luna questioned in her usual dreamy voice._

_"I don't know, Luna. Hopefully, we'll find out," Ginny said._

_Dumbledore spoke up. "Who would like to read next?"_


	3. Chapter 3: RDHYL Chapter 2

_Disclaimer (Forgot this the last chapters): None of the characters or bold text is mine!_

_Please don't expect updates this often on a usual bases. I don't have a lot of time to work on my stories. What college student does?_

* * *

_CHAPTER THREE_

_"I would," Hermione volunteered._

_Remus passed her the manuscript. _

_"_Chapter Two_," she read. _

Harry and Ron followed Hermione into the Burrow. She led them upstairs to the attic room that had used to house Ron and Harry in the summer but now housed Ron and Hermione when they stayed overnight.

_Hermione continued through to the next sentence, not allowing anyone to comment._

Once the door was shut, Harry slowly tore the folded note off of the package, aware that Ron and Hermione had their wands ready in case.

_"Constant vigilance!" Mad-Eye yelled. _

He opened the note and read aloud:

Dear Harry, Ron, and Hermione,

First, thank you for following instructions. I was sure you would look at it by yourselves first, but one can never be too sure about these things. Second, thank you for all that you've done. I'm glad that Harry has finally found a true family and that all of you are creating your own. I'm sure Molly will love gaining many grandchildren in the next few years.

_Molly smiled. "Grandchildren?" she whispered to Arthur, who nodded and smiled back. _

(Don't worry yourselves about how I know this; it doesn't really matter.) Anyways, the reason I wanted you three to read this note in private was because it is your choice whether or not to open the gift I have sent you. I will tell you now that it is a book. (Before you groan, Ron, just wait.)

_"It's creepy how well they know us," Ron shuddered. _

_Hermione, however, didn't hear him; she had been reading ahead. She said, "We should read the whole note before we comment on anything. It seems like a lot of things are going to be mentioned, and it will do no good to have people interrupting every few words." _

_Everyone nodded and agreed to hold their comments until the note was finished. _

It is a book that details, from Harry's perspective, your hunt for the horcruxes, from the Dursleys leaving Privet Drive to Harry repairing his wand. I know that you have been struggling for a while about how to tell your family what happened. They know the basics, but you've wanted to tell them the complete truth for awhile now. Here's your chance, no thinking involved. "What decision do we have to make?" you may ask. You have to decide if you truly want them to know everything. Do you want them to know about Ron's departure,

_Ron grimaced and put his head down while Hermione struggled to get the next words out. _

Hermione's torture, and the horcrux inside Harry? This is what you must ask yourself. Once you open the package containing the book, time will freeze, and there is no turning back. Once you open the package, you must read the book from whichever point you wish to start to the end without skipping. You'll need to write the names of all who are going to participate on the back of this paper so that the spell will include them. Choose wisely.

~A Friend~

P.S. Might I suggest (and I know that this won't please some of you or your family) that you invite Draco and his fiancé.

_"What?" Ron interrupted._

_Hermione gave him a look that had him lowering his head._

You should perhaps also invite McGonagall, Hagrid, and Kingsley. (As time will stop while you read, they will not be missed at their jobs.) Again, though, it is your choice.

P.P.S. Time stopping will not negatively affect Ginny's or Angelina's pregnancy. The babies might just be born a little "early" once time resumes.

_No one really knew what to say after that, so Hermione just continued to read._

The three heroes looked at each other in shock. They sat in silence for a few minutes just looking at each other. Harry broke the silence first. "We're going to need some time to discuss this aren't we?" he asked the other two. They nodded. "Expecto Patronum." Harry sent his patronus with a message to Neville; it told him that they were all safe and that they just needed several more minutes to discuss something. Then he turned back to face the two most important people in his life, after Ginny of course. "So?"

"We've been talking about telling them for months now. We were going to tell them," Hermione reasoned.

Ron retorted, "But not all the details. We were never going to tell them everything."

_"Why wouldn't you want to tell us everything?" Arthur questioned. "We're your family."_

"Ron, I know that we've kept some things about that year a secret for so long, but I really think that they, of all people, deserve to know. We are their family after all," Hermione talked slow and quiet, hoping to not put him on the defensive.

_Arthur and Hermione smiled at having said the same thing._

"They're going to hate me," he whispered.

_"Oh, Ronnie. We could never hate you," Molly spoke to her youngest who still had his head in his hands, avoiding eye contact with everyone._

_"Yeah, Ron. You're a family. Our brother," Bill said. _

_Fred, George, and Ginny agreed, "Yeah."_

_Hermione realized that Ron wasn't going to respond, so she continued to read._

He had told them this before, and they had tried to tell him differently, but he wouldn't hear of it. They looked at each other, silently deciding who would speak.

"That's not true. Are you going to hide the truth that you walked away from our family forever? What happens when they find out? When Bill or Fleur or Hermione or I or you slip up, accidentally mention it? Don't you think they'll be more mad that you hid it from them than that you left?" Harry questioned his friend.

_"We'd be more upset that you hid it, I think," Ginny said quietly. _

"Yes," Ron grudgingly admitted.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other and decided to give Ron a reprieve. Hermione told them her opinion. "I'm alright with reading it. I'm not thrilled about re-living that awful year, but I think I'm ready. I'm ready for our family to know. I'm tired of hiding things from them. If we can't tell them, who can we tell?"

_"That's true. I learned the hard way that keeping things from people who truly care about isn't good for anyone," Remus said._

_Sirius smiled. He remembered he and James teaching Remus the "hard way."_

"Hermione's right," Harry agreed. "I think they need to know, and we need for them to know. I've seen it in the way they look at us. They're confused by the changes in us. They don't understand them. And they're not going to unless we tell them exactly what happened."

_"That's true," Arthur said. _

Ron spoke again. "What if they do hate me?"

"They w—" Hermione started to say.

But Harry interrupted her, knowing that that wasn't the answer Ron wanted.

_Ron smiled into his hands. Harry always understood his insecurities. _I don't deserve a friend like him,_ Ron thought. _

"If they hate you, and neither Hermione nor I think they will, then they'll have to deal with us. They have no right to hate you for it; the only people who do are us two, and we don't. If they hate you, Ron, we will pick you over them. We won't abandon you and leave you to face our family alone. We will be there for you to yell at them and tell them to stop being humongous gits."

_This finally got Ron to bring his head out of his hands. He smiled at Harry. "Thanks, mate. And I'm sorry about leaving again."_

_"You're my mate; of course I'd stand up for you. And why are _you_ sorry? _You_ haven't done anything. And besides," Harry continued before Ron could interrupt, "you came back. That's all that really matters, in the end."_

_Ron sighed, then nodded. "If you say so."_

Harry's words seemed to do the job; Ron looked calmer and less conflicted. Hermione just shook her head; even after marrying him,

_That shocked Ron out of his stupor. "We're married?!"_

_"Honestly, Ronald. Is the idea that loathsome?" Hermione asked, slightly hurt._

_"No." Ron replied but received a kick from Harry that told him to say more than just that. "It's just surprising. I mean, you don't like me like that."_

_Hermione looked as if she was going to continue to read without replying, so Harry kicked her. She scowled at him for it but spoke anyway. "And how do you know that? Have I ever said that to you?"_

_"Well, no. But-"_

_"'But' nothing, Ronald. You shouldn't guess at what people feel. You should pluck up the courage to ask them!" And with that, she began to read again. _

there are still things that only Harry understands about him. _I'll learn_, she told herself.

"You'd really stand up to the family for me?" Ron asked, not daring to believe it.

"Of course." This time it was Hermione who spoke, knowing that he needed affirmation from both of them but especially her.

Harry added, "Yeah."

It took a few moments for Ron to decide. "I'm okay with reading the book, but I think we ought to ask the family if they want to. We shouldn't force them to; it'll be more painful for them than us. We at least know what's coming."

_"I'd imagine we'd all want to read it," George said. _

"Ron's right," Hermione said. "Before that though, what about the people listed in the P.S.? Do we want to invite them?"

_"Not Draco!" Ron commented._

_Hermione huffed. "Oh, honestly, Ronald! Stop acting so childish!"_

_Ron grimaced._

_Harry leaned in and whispered in Hermione's ear. "And you wonder why he thinks you don't like him. With comments like that, anyone would."_

_Hermione frowned for a moment before reading again. _

"I think Kingsley should be invited for sure," Harry said with no room for argument. "He was a member of the Order then and is Minister of Magic now. He's earned the right to know."

_Kingsley bowed his head_. _"Thank you."_

_Harry nodded. _

Ron nodded. "I think McGonagall and Hagrid deserve to know too. They were both in the Order and, though Professor McGonagall rarely showed it, they both care for us and were surely worried the whole year."

_McGonagall nodded, satisfied that she would be invited. "I'm sure I was worried."_

_Hagrid nodded in agreement, feeling glad that the trio though enough of their friendship to invite him into what was sure to be a very emotional gathering. _

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

Hermione had been quiet during the short exchange, thinking. "I think we should listen to the note and invite Draco," she said quietly, knowing her words would set off Ron and maybe Harry.

_"What?!" Ron asked Hermione, flustered. "What do you want to invite him for?"_

_Hermione just kept reading, laughing once she read the next line out loud. _

"What?!" Ron nearly shouted. "What do you want to invite him for?"

_Everyone else chuckled._

Though they fought less often now, their fights still weren't pretty. Harry intervened. "I think we should invite him too. As loath as I am to admit it, he did try to help us twice, at Malfoy Manor and in the Room of Requirement.

_Draco spoke for the first time. "I wouldn't!"_

_Harry looked at him, shocked. He had forgotten that Malfoy was there. "Well, obviously you did, or I wouldn't be saying that," he responded in a more kindly manner than usual, thinking that he wanted to make sure that he didn't make Draco not want to help him. _

Besides that, he needs to know the true monster Voldemort was. He'll never understand completely if he doesn't hear the truth."

Ron considered Harry's thinking for a few seconds. "Oh, alright. I want it known that I'm not happy about it, and I'm not sitting by him. And if he says one thing out of line, I'll—"

_Hermione sighed. _

"Ronald," Hermione stopped. "Really, you shouldn't hold a grudge. You don't want to become like Snape, do you?"

_Ron looked horror-struck._

_"What does that mean?" Snape questioned as everyone laughed at Ron's face._

_"Nothing," Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, Sirius, and Remus chorused._

Harry had to stop himself from laughing at the look on Ron's face. He knew Ron would never turn out like Snape, but he also knew that Hermione had said that so he would understand what she was trying to tell him. _They're so good together, _he thought to himself not for the first time. "Let's go back outside and explain to the family," he told them.

_Hermione laid down the manuscript. "Who wants to read next?" _

_"I will," Fred said. _


End file.
